"I made a mistake. Right now, I'm very apologetic to everybody that is a part of the Auburn family — the coaches, the fans and my teammates," said Mincy, a senior corner arrested on second-degree possession of marijuana charges outside of Abbeville, Ala., on June 27. "Day in and day out, (I'm) just trying to get everybody's respect back."

The arrest came mere days after Mincy appeared at a D.A.R.E. event along with other Auburn players. There, he spoke to children about the dangers of drug use.

Never miss a local story.

Sign up today for unlimited digital access to our website, apps, the digital newspaper and more.

He understands the disconnect and hopes to win back any supporters he may have lost.

"I put myself in that position and it was a mistake that I have to pay the price for," Mincy said. "I've just got to get those fans back."

On July 25, Mincy was accepted into a pretrial diversion program. Provided he completes the program without any further incidents, the charges will be dismissed.

And his on-field status has also started to become more clear. As part of his punishment, Auburn coach Gus Malzahn said Mincy won't start the season opener versus Arkansas on Aug. 30. How much time he'll have to remain on the sideline isn't certain.

Regardless, Mincy said he is at peace with the decision.

"I trust Coach (Malzahn) and that's the biggest thing — just getting his trust," he said. "Whatever the punishment, I (welcome) it."

Once the Tigers' preseason camp began last week, though, his arrest hasn't been given a second thought.

"It's been indescribable," he said. "It's been good just being out there with my teammates. Just being able to come back after the season like we had and being out there having fun, playing the game that I've been blessed to play for this long, it's just a great opportunity."

One of the people Mincy has leaned on most during this ordeal was his position coach, Melvin Smith. Mincy described Smith as the "father figure I never had."

"I grew up in a single-parent home so when I got here, different coaching changes, Coach Smith has kind of been the (person) that I can go talk to about anything on and off the field," he said. "I’m very blessed to have him as a coach."

Entering his final season on the Plains, Mincy is regarded as one of the anchors of Auburn's defense. Last year, he started all 14 games at field corner, making 56 tackles, 14 pass breakups and snagging one interception. With Chris Davis gone, Mincy stands as the most experienced corner on the roster; Mincy also wanted to duplicate another one of the Iron Bowl hero's roles: being a team captain.

War Eagle Extra

Jordan D. Hill has covered high schools and athletes in the Bi-City area for the Ledger-Enquirer since January 2017. Prior to coming to Columbus, Hill was a freelancer for The Macon Telegraph and an intern for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. A native of Jasper, Georgia, Hill is a graduate of Pickens High School and the University of Georgia.